The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The Meaning of Difference is a text-reader about the social construction of difference as it operates in American formulations of race, sex and gender, social class, and sexual orientation. The book is based on the conviction that similar processes are at work in the construction of differences of color, sex and gender, class, and sexuality and that these processes likely also apply to other master statuses such as disability. Four framework essays provide the conceptual structure for the book. Following each framework essay is a set of readings that illustrate the concepts and processes described in the essays. The readings have been selected for readability, conceptual depth, and applicability to a variety of statuses.

About the Author

Karen E. Rosenblum is Associate Professor of Sociology and Vice President for University Life at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is a former Director of Womens Studies and the Womens Studies Research and Resource Center and a faculty member in Cultural Studies. Professor Rosenblum received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her areas of research and teaching include sex and gender, language, and deviance. Toni-Michelle C. Travis is Associate Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also a faculty member in the Womens Studies and African American Studies Programs. Professor Travis received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. Her areas of research and teaching include race and gender in political participation, and urban politics. She has served as the President of the National Capital Area Political Science Association and the Womens Caucus of the American Political Science Association. She hosts Capital Regional Roundtable, a cable television show, and is a frequent commentator on Virginia politics.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.